Not What the Doc Ordered

The Philadelphia Phillies put Roy Halladay on the 15 day disabled list on May 6th 2013. The Phillies and their fans can only hope that the injured shoulder keeps Doc out for only 15 days. In reality, Halladay’s season and career (NOOOOOOOO!) could be over.

This is a sad time for baseball.

One of the modern era pitching legends is on his way out and leaving in an incredibly unceremonious way. Yet, propaganda artists like this guy on morning radio and Phillies fans are (get this) blaming Halladay for trying to pitch through the pain.

Did Halladay mislead the Phillies by not sharing that he was pitching in pain since his outing against the Pittsburgh Pirates on April 24th? Quite posssibly. However, weren't most fans happy with Halladay on April 24th since he threw one-hit ball over 6 innings allowing only 1 run? At that point, most of baseball believed that Halladay had reinvented himself after an incredibly shaky start to the season.

Can you really have it both ways?

Is Doc done? Probably. The Halladay that we remember from his early Phillies days certainly is. If any pitcher could reinvent himself in the Greg Maddux manner it would be Halladay. That doesn’t make it easy or likely.

This is where the fine line of playing with pain (warrior) and not sharing the pain with the organization (distrusful) comes into play.

Did you forget about this?

For those of you on the distrustful side ask yourself these questions.

Was Halladay able to discern between normal discomfort and this shoulder pain?

How do you know?

Do you typically root for a player in any sport for the kind of heroism that comes with playing in pain?

Are you sure the Phillies would have insisted on a Doctor’s review of his shoulder? (their track record would not suggest as much)

If Halladay has not earned the right to work through this on his terms, who has?

And my personal favorite, how can you boo a guy who has lived his life to provide sports fans with indelible memories knowing that may have been his last professional outing?

Look around Philadelphia. You have plenty of viable options if you want to exercise your rights to boo. Jimmy Rollins, Chad Durbin, Charlie Manuel all have given Phillies fans legitimate reasons. Hold on, NFL training camp will be here soon. Mike Vick anyone? DeSean Jackson? Sure.

But not Doc Halladay. He deserves better. He’s given you everything he has.

Toast Doc Halladay as a future Hall of Famer and true warrior with a Red Nectar Ale. The American Amber is the original offering from Nectar Ales. Red Nectar has a very fresh taste with an even balance of caramel malts, spice and hops.  With a 5.5% ABV feel free to raise several pints to Doc and his efforts through the years.

Roger That

The NFL Draft is this week. Hundreds of new players will be drafted into the league as others are forced to leave. Player transition is the way of the league.

The Baltimore Ravens are the 2013 Super Bowl champions. Congratulations Ravens Fans. Enjoy this. It may be at least another 5 years until you can celebrate again.

Why? The answer is simple. Roger Goodell wants it that way. And like Lola, what Roger wants Roger gets.

Think about the amount of Ravens player transition that has occurred in this offseason alone. I find this more effective if we borrow John Belushi’s Animal House speech for this part (Neidermyer dead!).

Ray Lewis – gone

Ed Reed – gone

Mr. Playoffs Big CatchAnquanBoldin – gone

Safety Bernard Pollard – gone

CB Cary Williams– gone

Guard Bobbie Williams – gone

LB’s DannellEllerbee and Paul Kruger - gone

Ozzie Newsome has proven to be a great talent estimator. He better be.

Another reason that Goodell forces this transition is a combination of the salary cap rules and current quarterback compensation. Good ol boy Joe Flacco’s contract has hurt the Ravens and will continue to in future years. Despite being overpaid (I’ll get to that), Flacco signed what is considered a cap friendly deal. Everything is relative. Cap friendly in this case is simply defined as friendly for $20M a year. Let’s ignore the facts that despite a very good postseason, Flacco in general relies on his receivers to make plays on the ball. He also has the benefit of very physical receivers that make these plays. Remember if Stephon Moore makes an average play in the Broncos game on one of these typical Flacco “up for grabs” throws, the Ravens lose and Flacco is paid about $16M per year.

Moore missed, the Ravens won. Flacco gained confidence and the rest is history.

Ah but, Roger wants it this way. The constant player movement keeps the NFL in the headlines year round. What happened to Dynasties? Dynasties! Dynasties! Blasphemy! What fun (how much money) would it be if the Ravens won year over year? No way. In the world according to Roger, it is far better for a new team to win the Super Bowl every year. (Visualize Goodell greedily rubbing his hands together) Even better, each year’s Super Bowl winner should not even be the favorite. They should be a 3 seed or lower. Ah the drama.

Player & team loyalty (Brian Urlacher) gone. Screw that, we can sell more jerseys if Urlacher is on the Steelers next year.

The perfect teams have figured out cap management (creative accounting) and talent evaluation. The teams that draft well (perfect recipe – hit on round 1 and then rounds 4-6) and evaluate free agency fillers succeed. The teams that are mediocre in cap management and talent evaluation continually try to make a splash in free agency (Dallas Cowboys anyone?) remain mediocre hoping for that one magical ride.

Welcome to today’s NFL. Learn quickly. Enjoy the ride. Roger that.

Finally New Belgium Brewing is consitently distrubting to most of the mid-Atlantic.  I recently tried a Ranger IPA.  Unilke Fat Tire, which I find to be overated, Ranger IPA delivers. Ranger is a crisp hoppy beer with hints of orange. With a 6.5% ABV, Ranger IPA is a great spring to summer transition beer.

Paralysis of Analysis

What has happened to sports journalism?  Do you ever read an article in print or on the web and think to yourself, “wow, I never thought of that?”  You may find it in a periodical publication, but rarely on-line.

I blame ESPN.  

ESPN has created writing positions (blogs) for each NFL division.  Dan Graziano provides analysis for the NFC East blog.  The other week his big analysis on the Dallas Cowboys was that they should consider not drafting injury prone players.  Seriously.   Graziano’s position was that DeMarco Murray, Sean Lee and Bruce Carter were known to have injury issues in college that have followed them to the NFL.

Murray missed 4-5 games throughout his Oklahoma career.  Lee and Carter did have injury issues in college. However, that is exactly why a team like the Cowboys was able to draft first round quality in the 2^nd round.  Most teams take calculated risks in an effort to overachieve in the gamble known as the NFL Draft.

Not to out due himself, this week Graziano states that Cowboys QB Tony Romo could have a big game against the Eagles.  Go get em Dan.

Did you watch the Indiana UNC debacle this week?  Damn, IU has some players and Assembly Hall was loud and rocking.  The game was relatively close until IU went on a run to close the first half.  The halftime analysis provided by ESPN?  Cody Zeller does a great job getting out on the fast break for a big man.  The key to getting out quickly on the fast break are the first 3 to 4 feet.  I shit you not.

IU played great pressure defense.  They continually made the extra pass on offense.  They out rebounded the Heels.  The Tar Heels played young, not aggressive and really have no go-to-guy other than James Michael McAdoo in the post.  The lack of PJ Hairston due to injury decreased both UNC’s athletic ability on defense as well as the loss of one player that create his own shot (dribble, drive, spot-up shoot).   The Hoosiers have several players that can create on their own. None of that was shared by ESPN.  Zeller sure gets out on the fast break though.

The ESPN machine in recent years has pillaged newspapers across the country in most cases hiring mediocre talent to provide content for their ever growing website.   On the surface this move makes sense. ESPN.com needs more content and most newspapers are shrinking and probably can’t afford either quality or experienced writers.

Ashley Fox once worked for the sports department of the Philadelphia Inquirer.  Fox, is a capable writer, but rarely adds any insight whatsoever.  That was the case in Philly and remains so with ESPN.  Her column last week was based on the statement game that the NY Giants put on the Green Bay Packers.  Sure, it was a statement sent by the Giants.  Is that really newsworthy?  What was learned by having access to the players and coaches before and after the game?   What strategy did Giants coach Coughlin put in his game plan?   Why were the Packers unable to respond?  How much of the game was factored by the Giants coming off a bad loss with a bye week to prepare?  Should we expect a letdown by the Giants against the Washington Redskins this week (yes)?

Why are none of these types of questions contemplated anymore?

Has this fast brief information society that we now live in completely killed the desire for real in depth reporting?  Will it ever come back?  ESPN, the highlight maker is clearly more interested in being hip and has their fingers all over this twitter-like phenomenon.  Yet, Chris Berman, Dick Vitale, Seth Greenberg and Lee Corso are placed in the spotlight while a true analyst like Ron Jaworski is buried.

Is it really good for sports?  What about the sports fan?  Ooops, sorry have to run.  The Sports Reporters is coming on and Bill Simmons will probably ask House from DC an important question. 

Can’t miss that.

The cold weather officially hit the northeast on the Saturday after Thanksgiving.  Every year that first cold day inspires me to start stout season.  This year when I went to a local establishment and asked for a Guinness, the bartender informed me that they were out (NOOOOOOOOOO), but they had a Victory Donnybrook Stout that was similar.  Similar? To Guinness? What? 

Let me tell you something.  This was a great stout and definitely in the Guinness family including a very drinkable 3.7% ABV. Hullo.  The only bad news is that Donnybrook only comes on tap or by growler.   I guess that means I’ll have to acquire mass quantities. 

Slainte.

A Tale of Two Coaches (Headed in the Wrong Direction)

Andy Reid and Jason Garrett share more than being head coaches in the NFC East.  They also coach teams that have talent, minimal discipline and are close to a premature end to this 2012-13 NFL season.

Both teams share 3-4 records that are considered league wide to be disapointments.  Each team has a quarterback that is a turnover machine.  Tony Romo has 13 interceptions and 2 lost fumbles while Mike Vick as 9 interceptions and 5 lost fumbles.  That is an incredible 29 turnovers between them. 

Tony Romo and Mike Vick are currently the 24^th and 25^th rated quarterbacks in the NFL below Josh Freeman, Andy Dalton, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Kevin Kolb and Christian Ponder.  Ouch.

Let’s be honest. Romo has had turnover issues since he replaced Drew Bledsoe and Vick is the all-time leading fumbler never known for good decision-making.   Knowing this factual information, the real question is why do Garrett and Reid continually put their QB’s in a position to fail?

Sometimes the answers are quite simple.  Reid has LeSean McCoy at his disposal along with the annoying but ridiculously fast DeSean Jackson.   Establish a running game. Commit to the running game. Once you have a modicum of success in the running game, play action pass to DeSean. 

Sound easy?  It is and that is the problem.  Andy Reid has always overthought his actions.  Don’t believe me? 

·         Dramatically passes more than runs each game

·         Chose Mike Vick over a done Donovan McNabb, but a better pure passer in Kevin Kolb (that he hand-picked in a previous draft)

·         Hire a defensive line coach that uses a novelty formation (wide 9) prior to hiring a Defensive Coordinator

·         Hired his former Offensive Line coach to be the Defensive Coordinator in 2011. Then after a disastrous season, stuck with Castillo as the DC for 2012.

·         Poor time-out usage and clock management that has not improved in his 14 year tenure.

That 14 year tenure is also a HUGE issue.  Invariably in sports, the overpaid athletes tune you out over time.  It is inevitable. Now Imagine how fast they could tune Reid out after hiring his friend to be DC instead of better qualified candidates.  The proof as always is on the field.  The Eagles have minimal discipline or effort and appear to be thisclose to quitting. 

Breaking up is hard to do, but both the Philadelphia Eagles and Andy Reid are better off if they do.

Jason Garrett makes no sense to me.  The guy is a Princeton graduate.  He was a career back-up that when forced to play, delivered.  His demeanor is no bullshit straight laced and control-oriented.  His press conferences mirror that image.   Garrett appears to be the perfect balance to his over-the-top boss, PT Barnum, I mean Jerry Jones.

Somehow, Garrett’s teams display none of those aspects.  Rather than over-achieve with methodical discipline, the Cowboys rarely live to their potential.  These Cowboys make the same mistakes over and over and over and over again.  Even the good players.  DeMarcus Ware continues to jump off-sides at least once a game typically in a key moment. Tyron Smith or Doug Free will get a pre-snap penalty at precisely the wrong time during a game.  Dez Bryant will have some mental lapse exactly when the Cowboys need him most.

Equally confusing is Garrett’s play calling.  It is too vanilla.   I watched the Atlanta Falcons completely dismantle the Eagles this Sunday.  The play calling was inventive exciting and most important effective.  As the Cowboys actually showed heart after falling behind the NY Giants for all of the reasons above, Garrett was left with a critical 3^rd and 1 at the Giant 19 yard line with 1:19 to play.  Most fans of the game realized that at that point of the game a first down was more important than a touchdown. The play was a 2 receiver set with Jason Witten and Kevin Ogletree.  No Dez. No Miles Austin.  Romo elected to check out of a run and throw a 20 yard fade to Ogletree.  Seriously.

Romo deserves blame.   Garrett deserves more.  The Cowboys had 3 timeouts left.  As Romo is killing the run play, Garrett has to call time out.  He just has to. No further debate.  The right call to get the first down and more importantly 4 additional downs, must be made, even at the cost of a timeout.  That is on Garrett.  

4^th down was similar in that a run was not considered.  More shocking was the fact that against a pass rush strong team, there was no quick hitter for a receiver.  Garrett did not take advantage of Romo’s uncanny ability to make a play rolling out of the pocket.  This resulted in a prayer attempt that was intercepted and not Romo’s fault.

A relatively simple concept, time management has been a challenge of Garrett's in his brief coaching career.  Garrett let 16 precious seconds elapse rather than attempt another play to gain yardage settling for a missed 51 yard game winning FG attempt against the Baltimore Ravens earlier this season. Last December at Arizona, Garrett allowed 18 seconds run off the clock after a Bryant catch at the Arizona 32. Even though the Cowboys had two timeouts left, Garrett elected to spike the ball with seven seconds to play to set up a failed 49 yard game winning attempt.

More troubling, the Cowboys are now 4-12 since starting last season 7-4.  The trends are not positive and Garrett does not appear to be learning from his mistakes.   The poor time management, turnovers and lack of discipline continues.  How soon until his players react the way the Eagles are too Reid?

In the spirit of Halloween, I tried an RJ Rockers Gruntled Pumpkin Ale.  Similar to Garrett never having heard of calling a TO to ensure a quality play call, I had never tried a RJ Rockers offering.  Most pumpkin ales are just okay. Gruntled was very good.  The 7.2% ABV didn’t hurt. I felt that Gruntled offered a great balance between the spices and pumpkin flavor. Did I mention that the 7.2% ABV didn’t hurt?

Jerry Jones and the OJ Simpson Theory

Tuesday on his weekly radio show (think about that), Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said this, “"All of those things give us a chance to take a team that is evolving into -- if you look at the pluses against the Ravens -- evolving into a team that can be a team that can compete for the championship. Not next year, this year."

For those of you not paying attention, the Dallas Cowboys are currently 2-3.  They were manhandled in losses to the Seattle Seahawks and the Chicago Bears.  That was the Seahawks and Bears, not the San Francisco 49ers or Houston Texans.

Apparently the reason for the optimism is a 2 point loss the Baltimore Ravens.   Hell, if you listened to Dallas sports talk radio this week, you may have thought the Cowboys won the game rather than lost due to horrible clock management and end of game play calling once again by the coach formerly known as the red-headed genius.  That is completely another story.

 

Jones is crazy.  No news there.  How about this? Jones is crazy like a fox?

The way good ol Jerry tells it the Cowboys just have to make the tournament, be healthy and get hot at the right time just like the NY Giants did last year (and the Green Bay Packers the year before, but who’s counting?). 

Hey Jerry, did it ever occur to you that those 2 teams had far more talent than your Cowboys?  What about quarterback play? Ask any GM in the NFL if they would rather have Tony Romo over Eli Manning or Aaron Rogers. 

How about head coach?  Tom Coughlin is a no brainer.  Personally, I think the jury is still out on Mike McCarthy, but he has a Super Bowl ring from coaching.  Sorry Jason. 

So why does Jones continually make these insane statements?  Does he really believe it? Is he undermining his coach (probably)?  Is this just an act to sell more tickets, Cowboys gear, stadium tours  or d all of the above?

The answer is simple. Yes.   

Have you ever said something you knew was either stretching the truth or a smallish lie over and over and over again?  Said it to yourself so often that you actually started to believe it?   If you are honest with yourself the answer is yes.

Perhaps the greatest example of this is OJ Simpson.  I doubt that we will ever learn the entire truth of the evening that Nicole Simpson and Ronald Goldman were murdered.  Without reliving too much history, initially it appeared that OJ was going to confess (or kill himself).  Then as the trial went on a transformation occurred. Once OJ saw a glimmer of hope that he would be found not guilty he started  until now I have always thought that OJ told himself so many times that he was innocent that he convinced himself it was true.

Sound familiar?

Jerry had that crazy fast run in the early 90’s with Jerry Johnson as coach and an incredibly talented team.  Since that time, Jones has been delusional in believing that HE could be the driving force in recreating that success.  The Cowboys have two playoff wins since their last Super Bowl in 1995, and a 122-123 record since 1997.  Despite that mediocrity, the Cowboys have been valued at $2.1 billion more than any other sports team.  Jerry may be the greatest salesperson of all time.  His ability to sell household name sponsorships to Ford, Bank of America, Pepsi and Miller Brewing (yuck) is unmatched in the NFL.

With that type of business success, Jones subconsciously kids lies to himself that the Cowboys perennially have a legit shot at the Super Bowl if they can get in the dance.   The reality is they most likely will not unless he relents and hires/attracts legitimate NFL personnel.  Bill Polian anyone?  Will Jones ever tell the truth to himself?

Ask OJ.

The pumpkin beer season is offically here. I'm not a big fan of novely spice beers .  Like all types of beer there are some good and some not so good. Arcadia Jaw-Jacker is above average.  The spices (cinnamon, nutmeg) are apparent, but the blend is only ok.  Jaw-Jacker has a 6.0% ABV.  Jaw-jacker is worth a try during this time of year, but not in the same league as Dogfish Head Punkin or Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin.

A Legend's Tale

Whether you love or hate the New York Yankees, you had to respect Yankee manager Joe Girardi for pinch-hitting Raul Ibanez for A ROD in the critical game 3 of the ALDS game against the Baltimore Orioles.  Sure, A ROD is slumping and the match-up favored a left hander (Ibanez).  It still takes major balls to sit the star for a situational platoon player.  The funny part is A ROD seemed completely fine with the entire situation.  I guess maybe Girardi’s magical binder includes hunches too.

Add to that, Ibanez, who I had the pleasure of watching for 3 years in Philadelphia, is a good guy.  Raul is that rare professional athlete that you can root for.  A guy that shows up to his kids little league games and helps the other kids.  That kind of good guy.

The pesky Orioles fought back and won game 4 ultimately to lose the series in an incredibly well pitched game by CC Sabathia.  Girardi continued his approach with A Rod by benching him in game 5.  Rodriquez game 5 line was DNP.

The ongoing question for the Yankees and their fans is what becomes of Alex Rodriguez? 
To add some clarity I thought I’d add some of WFAN’s Mike Francesa’s wisdom that he shared on his radio show this week.  These are actual quotes:

1. A ROD no longer special.
2. An immortal got pinch hit for last night (and ultimately benched in game 5).
3. O's want to run the football, stop the run, and avoid 3rd and long ( Okay I made that up, but it fit).
4. Once you do it once (bench A Rod) everything is off the table.  (Literally)
5. The only way for A-Rod to prove that he’s special again is through his play. (You mean if A-Rod declares that he’s special that’s not enough?  What if he gets Mila Kulis to feed him popcorn?)
6. Girardi’s move in an indictment on A-Rod, the unusual celebrity.
7. Joe decided to go against the binder.  Against the binder!

Okay so maybe that really did not clear anything up.  Girardi deserves credit for advancing to the ALCS.  The Ibanez move in game 3 was genius.  The big question now is what about the game 5 benching of A ROD? 

Eric Chavez (A ROD’s replacement) had no impact in Game 5.  So that argument is out.  A ROD has been somewhat fragile since joining the Yankees.  His talent keeps him statistically viable. In 122 games A ROD hit .272 with 18 home runs and 57 RBI’s.  In 2011, he only played 99 games and hit .276 with 16 home runs and 62 RBI’s.  

Statistically the decline is on. 

Noting that, is Gerardi’s move wise?  Don’t you drain every bit that you can out of Rodriguez this season and worry about what to do with him in 2013? Is it not better to try and build A ROD up (seriously) rather than negatively motivate him?  With his skills declining (he is 37), can anyone expect A ROD to mentally get past this benching? 

My guess is this is similar to the end of Donovan McNabb’s career.  A Rod is probably done.  He will show a few glimpse of the player he was, but mentally he’s just shot.   Either way (bring me a yogurt), it will be very interesting to see the impact of this on the Yankees 2012 postseason.

On the east coast I have recently seen a fair amount of Nectar Ales from northern California.  I tried my first Nectar IPA during game 3 and it was damn good. Damn good.  The IPA is a typical Cali beer with great hops and a nice citrus smell and finish.   The Nectar IPA is really drinkable and will quench your thirst fast.  Enjoy, but note a sneaky 6.7% APV can catch up with you faster that A ROD’s decline.

Baseball - America's PAST Time

Two of MLB’s divisions came down to the last day of the regular season to determine the division winner and 2nd wildcard.  Bud Selig and the rest of MLB’s management team must be thrilled.

Did anyone pay attention?

Seriously, unless you live in Baltimore, New York, Dallas or Oakland is anyone really paying attention?  For an incredibly exciting season including a the first Triple Crown winner in 45 years, a rookie that plays like an old timer, a Red Sox complete season long collapse and the Washington Nationals potentially having the best  current and future best team, who noticed?

Magically, after surviving the steroid era, MLB has for the most part delivered exciting baseball that follows the NFL blueprint that each year a surprise team can win it all.  Witness the San Francisco Giants of 2010 and the St. Louis Cardinals last year.

The new model calls for solid, but not dominating, pitching, a great closer and 1-2 hitters that get hot at the right time.  The Giants had Tim Lincecum, Brian Wilson and Cody Ross (a rodeo clown for chrissakes).  St. Louis had Chris Carpenter, Jason Motte and David Freese.

In 2012, literally any team can win.  This year has been so competitive it is nearly impossible to choose a dominant club.  The easy way out would be to pick the Yankees, but their starting pitching is suspect and are very old.

The Cincinnati Reds make a good case for most balanced team.  Even they have issues.  Do you really trust Johnny Cueto as your go to stud starting pitcher?

The Texas Rangers were dominant all year and completely collapsed to the point of now having to play the magical pesky Baltimore Orioles in the wildcard play-in game.  Ron Washington looks lost and the Rangers now have that scared look.

So many questions to ask… Will Chipper Jones make one last run? Can the Giants pitching be dominant and get enough clutch hitting to make a run.  Will the Gnationals live up to their expectations or shrink in the bright lights?  Can Derek Jeter, Andy Pettite and crew make one last run or will A Rod and Mark Teixiera choke once more? Can the A’s and O’s keep their magic going?

Who knows?  It says here that this year’s magical carpet ride will be had by the Detroit Tigers.  Justin Verlander, Jose Valerde and Miguel Cabrera (the f-ing Triple Crown Winner and hands down AL MVP) will be the guys that lead the way.

Will anyone notice?

For your drinking pleasure during the MLB playoffs I recommend an Ommegang Scythe & Sickle Belgian brown ale.  Personally, I think that Ommegang does not get enough credit for the amazing beer they brew.  Scythe & Sickle is a delicious Belgian that is balanced nicely with rye and your typical Oktoberfest malts that delivers a sweetish taste at 5.8% ABV.  This is a really nice alternative to your typical Oktoberfest offerings.